Steve Harvey Embarrassed as He Announces Wrong Miss Universe Winner

“Family Feud” show host Steve Harvey was out of his usual element Sunday night as the host of the annual Miss Universe world beauty pageant. Apparently the pressure got to him as he mistakenly announced the wrong contestant as the winner.

“Miss Universe 2015 is Colombia!” Harvey exclaimed.

He failed to correct his error for two whole minutes as Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, smiled for the crowd and was given a sash, crown, and flower bouquet.

While Gutierrez was waving to her fellow contestants with her back turned to him, Harvey returned to the stage and said “I have to apologize. The first runner-up is Colombia.”

The news came as a huge shock to Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach who Harvey had a moment ago just called the runner-up.

At the post-pageant press conference, Pia talked about the mix-up. “I felt calm when I was called first runner-up because I felt it was fate. But when they announced that I was Miss Universe, I had mixed emotions. I was happy because I really wanted to win but felt sad for Miss Colombia.”

Pia said she tried to reach out to Ariadna after the show. “I even tried to approach her after (but) I couldn’t get near as she was surrounded by the Latin Aerican contestants.”

Asked how she’d feel about traveling to Latin America after the incident, she said, “I won Miss Universe based on the judges’ vote… It’s not as if I took the crown from her.”

Almost immediately after Harvey corrected his error and announced Wurtzbach as the winner, the Miss Universe organization cut the television feed and did not allow the audience to see her do her winner walk.

Right before the feed went to black, Harvey began apologizing profusely: “It was my mistake,” he said. “Please don’t hold it against the ladies.”

The studio audience obliged him and cheered continuously as Gutierrez’s Miss Universe options were removed and given to her rival. She managed to keep her composure during the awkward moment.

News about Harvey’s screwup even spread into the political world where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is the former owner of the Miss Universe brand, said on Twitter that the incident wouldn’t have happened if he had been running things.

“Very sad what happened last night at the Miss Universe Pageant. I sold it 6 months ago for a record price. This would never have happened!”

Asked by NBC what he would do now that the messup has gone viral, Trump said he’d make Miss Colombia and Miss Phillipines “co-winners.”

“I’ll tell you what I think I’d do. I think I’d make ’em a co-winner. It’d be very cool,” Trump said.
“I would recommend that they go have a beautiful ceremony, which is good for the brand and good for Miss Universe, and do a co-winner,” he added.